Oftentimes, various vehicles, whether commercial, construction, private, government vehicles, etc., and in particular, dump trucks, carry or transport goods or materials from one location to another, for example, in a rear bed or rear portion of the vehicle. As just an example, the materials may be construction type materials, such as large or small rocks, gravel, dirt, sand, etc., landscaping materials, such as trees, limbs, branches, sod pallets, wood chips, etc., or any other type of goods or materials, whether large, small, heavy or lightweight.
Particularly, the various goods or materials (or a portion thereof) may become loose, dislodged or otherwise fall from the vehicle causing a dangerous condition on the road for other vehicles. For exemplary purposes only, trucks, including but not limited to dump trucks, oftentimes have a hinged or flap tail gate which can open at a lower end in order to dump the transported materials (e.g., rocks, gravel, dirt, sand, etc.) at the designated location. Specifically, the tailgate may pivot at a top end, causing the lower end to open and expose the materials therein.
When driving or travelling from one location to another with a load of materials in the truck or vehicle, the materials (or a portion of the materials) may become dislodged or otherwise inadvertently fall from the truck and onto the surface of the road. Obviously, the fallen debris, whether large rocks, tree limbs, branches, gravel, dirt, sand, etc., can cause a dangerous condition for other vehicles travelling behind the truck and on the same road. It should also be noted that debris may fall from the vehicle at any time, and not just when the vehicle is moving or travelling from one location to another.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a debris receptacle attached or connected to the rear of the truck, for example proximate the lower open end of the tailgate, and structured to receive and temporarily retain fallen debris therein while the truck or vehicle is moving or stationary. The proposed debris receptacle may be removably attached to the vehicle, for instance, via attachment assemblies and attachment members, in order to easily position the receptacle in its operative debris receiving location when needed or when desired. The attachment assemblies should securely lock the receptacle in place and allow the receptacle to maintain in its operative position even while the vehicle travels at low or high speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour, for example. Other embodiments contemplate a fixed attachment of the receptacle to the truck or vehicle, and may, in certain cases, pivot or otherwise be positionable between a debris receiving orientation and non-operative orientation allowing the vehicle to dump the materials.